Transforming Heavy Transport

Transforming Heavy Transport is an innovative project geared towards reducing emissions from freight and logistics operations including air, sea, land and transshipment centers. In collaboration with Smart Freight Center and the We Mean Business coalition, we are finding solutions to increase demand for low-emissions heavy transport through global and local implementation.

Our goal is to unify business in the transition to sustainable transport by accelerating emissions reductions across freight and logistics. Our vision is to achieve net-zero logistics emissions globally by 2050.

The challenge

Heavy transport is currently 90% dependent on oil products. It accounts for 20% of global energy and process-related CO2 emissions and 27% of total global final energy consumption. As climate change continues gain importance on the global agenda, we urgently need a unified global strategy to reduce emissions from transport and freight.

The business case

Global transport energy use is set to increase 75% by 2050. Transforming Heavy Transport is an opportunity for businesses to respond to increased demand for clean transport from both consumers and policy makers. This project offers companies the chance to tackle scope 3 emissions and to increase their energy independence and security in the transition to a low-carbon world.

The solution

Through Transforming Heavy Transport, we’re building a global business community of multinationals, organizations and initiatives focused on managing GHG emissions and air pollutants from freight and logistics. The project is developing a business-wide strategy to identify and address key gaps for lowering emissions from heavy transport. An early gap identified and being addressed is to develop a Smart Freight Procurement Framework. A full project description can be found here.

With the THT partnership, WBCSD and SFC aim to contribute to foster sustainable innovation and infrastructure for transport (SDG 9), promote sustainable economic growth (SDG 8), build strong and solution-oriented partnerships (SDG 17), and increase sustainability in and between cities (SDG 11). The focus of this partnership is to scale-up climate action and influence across companies (SDG 13).